Upside Down Roast Chicken with Vegetables
I made this for a show about mustard and trust me-- it's delicious!! And although you do need to plan ahead and allow time for the brining, it is one pan cooking at it's best. And it's a great excuse to get yourself this BEAUTIFUL vertical roaster from Staub!
Serves 6
Ingredients
2 tablespoons sugar
Kosher salt
1 chicken, 3 to 4 pounds
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
Freshly ground black pepper
Melted butter for brushing
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch lengths
½ pound small potatoes, halved
½ pound kohlrabi, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
½ pound turnip, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
Instructions
Place the sugar and salt in large bowl. Add 10 cups water and stir until dissolved. Add the chicken. If it isn’t completely submerged under water, add water just until the chicken is covered. Let sit in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
Remove the chicken from the water and pat very dry. Using your fingers, separate the skin of the chicken away from the flesh of the chicken over the chicken breasts and chicken thigh and drumstick. Be careful not to tear the skin of the chicken. Combine the mustard, rosemary and room-temperature butter. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Using your fingers, smear the mustard/rosemary butter under the skin and over the breast, thigh and drumstick spreading as evenly as possible.
Preheat an oven to 425 F.
Invert the chicken onto the vertical chicken roaster and place the carrots, potatoes, kohlrabi and turnip around the base of the chicken in the vertical roaster. Place the chicken, vegetables and vertical roaster on a baking sheet. Brush the chicken with the melted butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Roast for 10 to 15 minutes per pound until an inserted instant read thermometer registers 165 F when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh. You can also use a knife to insert into the thickest part of the thigh and see if the juices run clear. Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes before carving the chicken.
To serve, place the chicken and vegetables on a serving platter and drizzle the pan juices on the chicken and vegetables.
